Côte d’Ivoire’s rival armed factions have taken an encouraging first step towards disarmament by starting to assemble their fighters, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s Special Representative to the divided West African country has said in Abidjan.
Côte d’Ivoire is at a turning point, with positive political developments in the divided West African country that have opened up space for peace to blossom, while an “underground crisis” of deepening poverty may threaten hard-won stability, a senior United Nations official said today.
The United Nations Security Council today welcomed pilot public hearings in Côte d’Ivoire to establish the nationality of individuals and talks between government and rebel military leaders on starting the disarmament process.
The United Nations Mission in Côte d’Ivoire (ONUCI) is closely watching that country’s preparations for the upcoming national elections, which are considered vital for the success of the UN-led peace efforts, officials with the world body have said.
The United Nations Operation in Côte d’Ivoire (UNOCI) has strongly condemned an attack carried out against one of its buses and its civilian occupants in Yopougon, a suburb of Abidjan.
